Torpedo-fender.



C. A. BATES. TORPEDO FENDER. APPLlCATlON man MAR. 15. 1911.

Fatenwi Mar. 12, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

CHARLES ALBERT BATES, 0F VERNON HILL, VIRGINIA.

. TORPEDO-FENDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

Application filed March 15, 1917. Serial No. 155,049.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, CHARLES ALBERT Barns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vernon Hill, in the county of Halifax and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Torpedo-Fenders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to that class of devices intended to protect ships against total destruction or even injury from torpedoes and one object is to provide means of this class which will not only prevent the torpedo from striking the vessel but which will trap the same so that it may be taken aboard if required.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fender offering little resistance to the water when extended for use and capable of inward folding when the ship is out of a danger zone such as that recently declared by Germany and embracing the waters adjacent the British Isles, Italy, France and adjoining countries.

With the foregoing general objects in view, the invention resides in the novel features of construction and unique combinations of parts to be hereinafter fully described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by. the accompanying drawings which constitute a part of this specification and in which:

Figure l is a side elevation of a vessel giving a diagrammatic illustration of the manner in which the improved fender is applied;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of one section of the fender;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of the vessel equipped with the invention;

Fig. 4 isv an enlarged sectional view out horizontally through one section of the fender; and,

Fig. 5 is a sectional perspective view of one of said sections.

In'the drawings above briefly described a ship S is shown equipped with the improved fender, said fender consisting of a plurality of longitudinally disposed sections 1 located on the opposite sides of the vessel.

Each section 1 includes a preferably rectangular vertical plate 2 of one piece of sec tional metal construct on as occasionv may demand, said plate being supported at a suitable elevation, in respect to the water level, by chains or the like 3 whose upper ends may be wound around windlasses on the ship, around cleats, or secured in place in any other preferred manner. Bridle chains 4 extend beneath the ship and connect the lower edges of the plates 2 on the opposite sides of the vessel as shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and 3. By this arrangement, the sections 1 may he slipped over either the front or rear end of the ship in pairs in harness fashion and may then be secured in place by the chains 3. It is not necessary to apply the fender in this manner, however, since the chains 4 could well be connected to the plates 2 after the latter have been properly positioned.

Pivoted either directly to the upper portion of each plate 2 or to a bar 5 secured thereto, are horizontal vertically swinging links 6 whose outer ends are pivoted at 7 to the several sections 8 of the guard proper, one of said sections 8 being provided for each plate 2. Each section of the guard preferably consists of a plurality of vertical bars 9 and horizontal bars 10 integrally joined or otherwise united at their crossing points, the outer sides of all of said bars being beveled substantially to knife edges 11 so as to present no surfaces at right angles to the course of a torpedo directed toward the side of the vessel, it being intended that even should the pointed nose of the torpedo strike one of the bars 9 or 10, that it shall glance therefrom and wedge between said bars as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3.

For supporting the guard sections 8 and for raising them when required to cause the links 6 to move said sections inwardly to the dotted position of Fig. 3, cables 12 are connected to the upper edges of said sections, adjacent the ends thereof, said cables, (or chains if desired), being by preference iylound around windlasses carried by the s 1 I or holding the lower portions of the several guard sections 8 in properly spaced relation with the ship, horizontally swinging arms 13 are pivoted either directly to the lower edge of the plates 2 or within channel iron bars or the like 14 permanently secured to said plates, the latter construction being preferable. An upper and lower series of arms 13 are shown in thepresent embodi-n' ment of the invention and the alternate arms of the lower series are provided with forks or other guides slidably receiving the lower ends of the vertical bars 9. flhe intervening arms of said lower series and all of the arms of, the upperseries are free of guides such as 15 and merely abut the inner sides of said bars 9.

' one bar 17 is provided for each of the sections 1.

Any preferred means may be employed for shifting the bars 17 after the guard sec-v tions 8 have first been raised to remove the lower ends of their bars 9 from the guides 15, but cables or the like 18 willin most cases be provided for this purpose. Two cables 18 are provided for each bar 17 said cables being connected with said bar at points spaced from the ends thereof and extending obliquely from these points to sheaves 19 se cured to the plates 2. From the sheaves 19 the cables 18 rise to suitable operating means carried by the vessel. r

' By'eonstructing the fender in the manner shown and described, it may be quickly and easily folded when its use is unnecessary yet when required, said fender may be quickly extended into operative position and so held by the arms 13 and the guides 15, it being understood that said arms must be swung outwardly to operative position before the guard sections 8 are simultaneously lowered and moved outwardly, this being necessary in order that the lower ends of thegbars'?) may be received in the guides 15; Stops 20 are preferably carried by the channel iron bars 1a to check the movement of the arms 13 when said arms are in the proper position for performing their functions.

The improved fender, when proj ected,- vvill serve as an effective guard for preventing the noses of torpedoes'from striking the hull of the ship and even though'theymay be exploded by contact with the guard 8 little or'no nuury Wlll result due to the fact that the guard is spaced sufiiciently from the 'vessel to greatly decrease the effect of the explosion thereon.- "It is to be also considered that the plates 2 are substantially double the thickness of the hull and thus greatly resist the inward pressure caused by the explosion.

On account of the advantages above pointout, the specific constrr' ction shown and descrlbed constitutes the preferred'form of the fender. Itis to be understood, however,

that within the scopeof the invention as claimed-numerous variations may be made vertically disposed lama h without sacrificing the principal advantages. For instance, although the construction shown is preferably provided for securing the plates 2 in position, theymight well be held in place detachably or permanently by any other.preferred means. Similarly, in some types of the invention, the guards 8 could well be pivoted directly to the sides of the ship instead of connecting them with the plates 2 and 'securing'the latter in place.

- lclaim:- Y

1. A torpedo fender comprising a rigid guard and means for moving saidguard vertically from its operative position, means connected with the upper edge of said guard for normally spacing the 2. A- torpedo fender comprising rigid vertically disposed guard and means for moving saidguard vertically from itsoperative position, 1 means connected with the upper edge of said guard for normally spacing the same from the ship and for moving it inwardly when said guard is moved vertically, and horizontally foldable means for spacing thelower edge ofthe guard from the ship,-said foldable means having guides for recelvlng parts of said guard to prevent folding of said means until the guard 15. disengaged from said guides.

3. A torpedo fender comprising rigid vertically disposed guard and means for moving said guard vertically fromits operative position,*means connected with the up per edge of said guard for normally spacing the same from the ship and for moving it inwardly when said guard is moved vertically, horizontally swingingpivoted arms for spacing thelower edge of the guard from the ship, and means for swinging said arms inwardly. and outwardly.

4:. A torpedo fender comprising agrigid vertically disposedguard, andmeans "for raising said guard'from its operative position, means connected with the upperf edge of said guard fornorn'rally spacing the same from the ship and for moving 'it' inwardly when said guard s raised, hor1zontally swinging pivoted arms for .spacing the lower edge of the" guard from the ship, I

guides on the outer ends of said arms receiving parts of said guard to'preven't inward swinging, of said arms until said guard is disengaged from said guides, and means for swingingsaid arms inwardly and' out wardly."

5. A'torpedo fender comprising: a pro tecting plateand neans for securing it along the side of a ship, arigidvertically' disposed guard spaced outwardly from said -plate,

means for moving said guard vertically from 1ts eperative position,means connecting the upper edges of said guard and plate for moving the former inwardly when moved vertically from said operative position, and foldable means for spacing the lower edge of the guard from said plate.

6. A torpedo fender comprising a protecting plate and means for securing it along the side of a ship, a rigid vertically disposed guard spaced outwardly from said plate, means for moving said guard vertically from its operative position, means connecting the upper edges of said guard and plate for moving the former inwardly when moved vertically from said operative position, and horizontally foldable means carried by the lower edge of said plate for spacing the corresponding edge of the guard outwardly therefrom.

7. A torpedo fender comprising a protecting plate and means for securing it along the side of a ship, a rigid vertically disposed guard spaced outwardly from said plate, means for moving said guard vertically from its operative position, means con necting the upper edges of said guard and plate for moving the former inwardly when moved vertically from said operative posi tion, and horizontally foldable means carried by the lower edge of said guard for spacing the corresponding edge of the guard therefrom, said foldable means having guides receiving parts of said guard to pre vent folding of said means until said guard is disengaged from said guides.

8. A torpedo fender comprising a protecting plate and means for securing it along the side of a ship, a rigid vertlcally disposed guard spaced outwardly from said plate, means for moving said guard vertically from its operative position, means connecting the upper edges of said guard and plate for moving the former inwardly when moved vertically from said operative position, horizontally swinging arms pivoted to the lower edge of said plate for spacing the corresponding edge of said guard outwardly therefrom, and means for swinging said arms inwardly.

9. A torpedo fender comprising a protecting plate and means for securing it along the side of a ship, a rigid vertically disposed guard spaced outwardly from said plate, means for moving said guard vertically from its operative position, means connecting the upper edges of said guard and plate for moving the former inwardly when moved vertically from said operative position, horizontally swinging arms pivoted to the lower edge of said plate for spacing the corresponding edge of the guard outwardly therefrom, the outer ends of said arms having guides to receive parts of said guard to prevent folding of said arms until said guard is disengaged from said guides, and means for swinging said arms inwardly and outwardly.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES ALBERT BATES.

Witnesses:

JOEL Conn, JOHN L. COLE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ZPatentm,

Washington, D. 0. 

